There are numerous situations in which an electrical connector consisting of mating first and second electrical parts must be engaged or disengaged under circumstances in which minimum amount of facility is required. For example, when an astronaut is suited for space environment activity (a so-called EVA suit) manipulative ability is impeded by virtue of the cumbersomeness aspects of the space insulated suit. There are also situations in which the electrical connector may be located in a spatially restricted area or in hazardous environment, so that connection and disconnection must be accomplished by telerobotic means. In the latter case, delicate manipulations and precise alignment may be practically impossible to obtain for the given circumstances, and even when obtainable necessitates accepting a range of angular and spatial tolerances.
It is, therefore, desirable to be able to provide an electrical connector which can be mated or unmated by EVA suited astronauts or telerobotic manipulators, in that the connector parts can be effectively interconnected or released even though a relatively substantial amount of misalignment exists between the parts and this can be achieved without producing damage to the connector. Moreover, it is desirable that such connectors have connector housings and backshells configured so that included electrical contacts cannot be inadvertently shorted out to the housing, broken, or damaged and that cable strain relief, and optimal connector electromagnetic interference protection is obtained.